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Brisbane and the Gold Coast both enjoyed record-breaking visitor spend in their cities in 2024, $11.3 billion and $8.1 billion respectively, according to the latest Tourism Research Australia figures.
Brisbane’s spend was fuelled by an unprecedented 53.7 million nights in the city, while its corporate travel sector is booming, with domestic business visitors increasing 13.5 per cent to 2.1 million, and business visitor nights skyrocketing 30.5 per cent YoY to a record 5.8 million.
Additionally, Brisbane’s popularity with southern states hit new heights, with visitors from Victoria up a record 28.1 per cent YoY to 1.1 million, and visitors from NSW, up 18.1 per cent YoY to 2 million.
Internationally, the data shows Brisbane’s appeal is stronger than ever, welcoming record numbers of visitors from New Zealand and India, alongside a record 18.2 million visitor nights from Asia. South Korea is leading the charge at 2.8 million nights — up 37.2 per cent on 2019 while Indonesian traveller nights jumped by a record 127.5 per cent in the same period. International visitors were also staying longer in Brisbane, increasing their average length of stay to 22 nights, up by 3.7 nights.
“International and interstate visitors are captivated by Brisbane’s vibrant lifestyle precincts and tourism offerings, opting to extend their stays and make the most of their time in Brisbane,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.
“Whether it’s for business or leisure the demand from international and interstate visitors continues to soar, driving growth across the city and making Brisbane even better.”
Brisbane Economic Development Agency CEO Anthony Ryan said Brisbane continues to shine nationally and globally as a world-class leisure and business destination, fueling Brisbane’s growth.
“In a stunning two-year transformation, expanded aviation networks have ignited a tourism boom, shattering records with an unprecedented $11.3 billion in visitor spending and a record-breaking 18.2 million visitor nights from Asia.” he said.
Brisbane from the Botanic Gardens.
Goldie growth
The Gold Coast spend marked a 37 per cent increase from 2019 and a 5.2 per cent rise from the year ending September 2024.
“This significant increase underscores the Gold Coast’s enduring appeal and strengthens our position as a world-class destination for tourism, business, education, and major events,” Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn said.
Visitor numbers also experienced a notable rise, with 13 million people visiting the Gold Coast in the year ending December 2024, up from 12.2 million in the previous year, signalling the region’s continued growth and popularity.
The survey results come as the Gold Coast continues the clean-up from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred earlier this month which saw almost half the city’s tourism operators closed for more than seven days.
Cyclone Alfred hit the Gold Coast hard, causing severe erosion and damaging its beaches. Photo: goldcoast.qld.gov.au
“The industry is doing it tough right now, but these record-breaking results are something to be proud of and I’m confident as a city we can recover and continue to build on the work we have done to date,” Warn said.
“The Gold Coast is bouncing back, but we still have a massive job ahead, to support our tourism operators, accommodation providers and restaurants and cafes.”
Domestic overnight visitation was also up with 4.3 million people visiting the city in the year ending December 2024, compared to 4.1 million in year ending December 2023, with record visitation from Sunshine Coast and NSW.
“It’s fantastic to see the Gold Coast outperforming both Queensland (+2.8% expenditure) and Australia (+0.9%) in expenditure growth for domestic overnight,” Warn added. “These results demonstrate the success of our campaigns like Sneeky Mid-Weeky and Experience Exchange, which have helped attract more visitors to the region.”
New Zealand set its third consecutive record with 222,000 visitors, while international overall contributed a steady $1.2 billion to the economy. The Gold Coast’s other top international source markets were China, India and the United Kingdom.
Getting tourists to return to Surfers Paradise is part of the Gold Coast campaign.
Whitsundays status
Meanwhile, The Whitsundays proved to be one of the favourite holiday destinations for Queenslanders, but there was a drop in numbers from interstate, the survey indicated.
But the area still proved to be is one of the strongest-performing tourism regions, achieving a combined $1.65 billion in visitor expenditure across domestic and international markets.
Despite shifts in travel patterns, particularly in the interstate market, the region continues to thrive, outperforming the state average in key areas.
Domestic visitation remains the backbone of The Whitsundays tourism economy, with 709,000 visitors contributing $1.4 billion in total expenditure, up 17 per cent year-on-year.
Intrastate travel was particularly strong, with 443,000 Queenslanders choosing to holiday in The Whitsundays, a 4.5 per cent increase over the year. However, external factors led to a decline in interstate travel, down 11.4 per cent, as Australians may have opted for closer-to-home holidays or chosen to travel overseas.
Despite this, spending per visitor continued to rise, reaching $1,989 per trip (+19.5 per cent year-on-year), with an average spend per night of $446 (+15.1 per cent year-on-year).
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